We are presently sailing under full sail towards our waypoint 12 mile south of Brazil Rock. When we are arrive at this turning point, approximately 6.21nm from us, we will harden up the sails and make for our “The Corner” waypoint. This point is still 30 miles off and we expect an after lunch arrival. This places us in a good position to take advantage of the flood tide as we start our crossing of the Gulf of Maine. Presently the wind is a pleasant NE pushing us along. Forecasts along the Maine coast are showing a return to SW breezes for our forecast. These south westerlies will be welcome for our last push to the Mount Desert area for customs. The sun is shining and the breeze is warm (for Nova Scotia) so the spirits are high. We still have some Celestial Navigation skills to refresh and assess so the work continues in earnest.

We are underway again after a great port stop in Halifax. The students got a chance to visit historic places, tour the city, and hopefully catch up on their course work. We are presently on a starboard tack deep reaching towards Port Mouton, NS (the Nova Scotian equivalent to Florida). Depending on our speed for the next few hours we are planning on an overnight stay at anchor. Tomorrow we will see if it is a beach day, if not we will continue on our way home. The boat is running well and sailing nicely. More updates to come as we move closer to Maine waters.

Presently we are sailing on a port tack deep on a broad reach under sunny skies. We are making between 6 and 7 plus knots directly towards our Halifax approaches. This makes our ETA sometime late this evening or early AM tomorrow. Much will depend on the winds this afternoon and whether we decide to stay out for stars this evening. Our intention is to stay in Halifax until sometime Friday evening, weather permitting and begin our return to Maine waters. Not much else to report, we are enjoying our sail!

Early this morning we passed the Hague Line and should be able to make our turn up the Nova Scotian coast late this evening. Yesterday was spent working through safety drills, fueling, and last minute preparations for our first offshore leg. The crew is doing great and have been working diligently on both class and vessel work assignments. Our goal is Halifax for this trip. At this point it looks as if the weather will allow this in our time frame. Time will tell. We are presently motorsailing in light NW winds @ 1100 rpms for our next waypoint, “The Corner”. This waypoint keeps us well clear of the confusion of wind and sea experienced often associated with Cape Sable. From there we turn and set course for Halifax. All is well aboard.

We are home and will begin preparations to pull the mast on Wednesday. Thanks to all for your concern regarding the condition of our mainmast. We had very favorable conditions for our return under power. We departed Boothbay at 0400 on June 27 and made it to Castine at 1500. Now to get this girl sailing again!

On Monday, June 23, during routine rig inspections and maintenance, we found a potential compromise in our main mast. Since that time we have suspended sailing and have been in contact with the Maine Maritime Academy regarding a plan of action. This morning we had a shipwright aboard and conducted a further, more in-depth inspection of the mast.

With the results of this inspection, and with continued safety leading our decision-making, we have decided that Bowdoin will not proceed further from Penobscot Bay. Instead, at the conclusion of our open house and reception hosted at Wotton’s Wharf in Boothbay Harbor scheduled for Thursday, June 26, we will be looking for a weather window to proceed back to Maine Maritime Academy. Upon our return to Castine, we will pull the mast for an inspection and complete any repairs needed so we can return to our sailing schedule as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the timing of this development will result in the cancellation of several open houses and daysails that we have planned. To our friends in the Portland, Maine area, please accept my apologies that we will be unable to visit this coming weekend. With equal regret, I need to inform our friends in Provincetown Massachusetts that we will be unable to celebrate the 4th of July them this year but we look forward to renewed and continued relations with them in the near future. Thank you for all the hard work that all have put into the planning of these visits. We will come again soon. That is a promise.

The students aboard have taken this change of events with their chins up and have kept a positive attitude as we determined our course of action. We are all committed to the highest levels of safety possible. Many students have offered to stay after the course conclusion to help with the work involved in this type of repair. Their dedication to Bowdoin is inspiring.

Thank you for following our adventures and rest assured that we are still enjoying ourselves and the remainder of the time we have aboard during this course. We are training future mariners, and so, prudence is the lesson of the day.